UFA's- who's available this summer

[djsFlames]

If they draft 3 quality, impact players in the first round this year that are good enough to be considered 'core' guys, then they'll shave a ton of time off the rebuild. This draft year is deep and talented enough that they could do so.

It'll be important to avoid any smaller players especially. Guys already of NHL stature will make the jump with much more ease, and likely sooner, too. They also need to not focus so much on one position. Take three variations in the first 3 picks and go from there. A center, a defenseman and a right winger (weaker prospect pool than center).

As for free agency, their main focus should be a physical, 2-way forward who has size, and is not a 4th liner. (eg. Bolland) This is the main reason we can't compete with bigger, physically imposing teams. Having all our size in the bottom 3 does very little to help us. Two-way players are important also in that we have a few too many one-dimensional vets who are not good on the backcheck (Cammalleri, Cervenka, Hudler, even Tanguay), and I think it's an important part of how we want to mentor some new young kids.. to be responsible as much as to excel offensively. That's part of the issue with the team this year, too many one-dimensional forwards (and d-men who aren't known as stay at home guys) playing a free flowing, offense and forechecking oriented game. It's bound to create lots of holes and thus quality opportunities for the opponent, just as we've seen so much this season.

And I can't emphasize enough how much we need a stay at home defenseman who's physically able to shut down larger or skilled guys coming through our zone. When there's a guy like Kane, or the Sedins playing keep away with the puck in our end, our d-men are always waiting for a poke-check, to block a shot, or for them to cough it up, we need a guy (or two) in the top four unafraid to crunch these guys, not allowing them to skate around and stop the play in its tracks. That's the worst part about watching our play without the puck. We waste so much time watching the cycle in our end cause nobody makes a consistent effort to 'take the man' if they can't take the puck. Also, the inability to keep guys off the front of our net (and our goalies) is the other big issue. A top four, physical shut down player can help with this.

Anyways... just some of my laundry list if I'm Feaster and Co.

[Tinordi]

Wideman, Giordano and Brodie are top 4 defencemen on bad teams. No way you could say with a straight face that they slot in to any teams' top 4. Ridiculous.

[calgARI]

If those three were legit top four defensemen, then the Flames would be better than last in goals against.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Jake

I hope the Flames do not spend much cap space on UFAs this summer.

I hope they do spend most of their cap space on UFA's, you can't spend it on anything else really and what I don't want to see is the Flames not using all the space they created with the Bouwmeester trade (Iggy was gone regardless). Go out and get the best quality assets that you can on UFA's who'll take Short-term deals and no NTC/NMC... if you catch lightning in a bottle great and if you don't you bought yourself some assets that you can flip at the deadline for futures.

You can't bank cap space it's an asset where you use it or you lose it... and I'd rather the Flames use it.

[Ashasx]

CapGeek ‏@capgeek 45m Fourteen #NHL teams have less than $1.8M to spend per open roster spot next season. Average salary is ~$2.45M. http://www.capgeek.com/payrolls/?charts_year=2013 …

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Wideman, Giordano and Brodie are top 4 defencemen on bad teams. No way you could say with a straight face that they slot in to any teams' top 4. Ridiculous.

I disagree. The problem is none of those players are true #1s. Wideman and Giordano would make great #3 and #4 guys on most teams. Brodie is on his way.

If the Flames had a franchise #1 defenceman it would make a huge impact on the overall quality of their defence.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

CapGeek ‏@capgeek 45m Fourteen #NHL teams have less than $1.8M to spend per open roster spot next season. Average salary is ~$2.45M. http://www.capgeek.com/payrolls/?charts_year=2013 …

The Flames need to find a way to harsh troll St. Louis. With JBo's salary, they are going to be hard pressed to get all of their RFAs signed. There must be a way to offer sheet them or pry good assets out for cheap.

[$ven27]

Be nice to steal Berglund and/or Shattenkirk from the for basically nothing. Similar to Chicago and Atlanta situation with Ladd and Buff.

[Ashasx]

An offer sheet of $3,364,391 AAV would only cost the Flames a 2nd round pick. There may be some vulnerable teams out there.

And it's not like we're going to have that 2nd round pick for long.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Tinordi

Wideman, Giordano and Brodie are top 4 defencemen on bad teams. No way you could say with a straight face that they slot in to any teams' top 4. Ridiculous.

I could say it with a straight face... with Wideman and Giodano at least Brodie hasn't earned that kind of rep yet. Wideman and Gio are not bottom pairing or #7 defensemen on pretty much any team in the league and if they're not bottom-pairing or #7 defenseman then by definition they're top 4. I don't think they're a top pairing defensemen on a good team (or even just an average team) but I think they'd hang in most teams middle pairings.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by blankall

Tanguay is actually 6' tall and a just under 200 lbs. He's also not that soft and does throw some decent hits. Backlund is also 6' tall and just under 200lbs and despite the fact he is young and still developing strength, does a pretty good job of getting into the corners and winning battles. Hudler is short but stocky and plays an aggressive style of game. Hudler is a player known for winning puck battles and scoring from dirty places, particularly within a few feet of the net.

You're just randomly calling all of our playes who are European or French small and soft. Tanguay's physical game is pretty average amongst top line NHL forwards. I don't know where he gets this reputation of being on the soft side. No he's not Milan Lucic but holding him responsible for dragging the entire toughness of the team down is pretty ridiculous.

Randomly calling out Tanguay as soft? Because he is French? Huldler and Backlund Horak because he is European? Cammalleri because he is Canadian but small? Stempniak, Stajan ??

How about

Tanguay ..

21 hits in 35 games this year and 22 in 62 games in 2012-13,

Hudler 15 hits in 35 games this year. prev year (48 in 81)

Cammalleri 15 hits in 36 games prev year 17 hits in 61

Backlund 17 hits in 20 games prev year 25 in 41

Horak 6 hits in 7 games. 28 in 61

Cervenka 6 hits in 28 games.

Stajan 41 hits in 37 games and a new fan favourite because of his compete level compared to 49 hits in 61 games the year before.


Tough guy Stempniak 37 hits in 35 games up from 55 in 61 the year before.


Better than that just watch a game and see the Flames being pushed off the puck, never taking the man in their own zone and going for line shifts rather than taking a hit and chasing down a loose puck.

Please don't try to tell me that these guys are anywhere close to average. Against a team like LA in a playoff series they would be afraid to touch the puck.



You can get away with having 2-3 small talented forwards.... Cammalleri and Hudler and Baertschi should be these guys for the Flames....

You can be a valuable NHL player playing soft if you can score the goals and have a bunch of teammates to do the dirty work.... see Kane in Chicago.

He is supported by Hossa, Toews, Sharp, Bickell, Stalberg all big aggressive players...... Put Tanguay on the Hawks and Kane on the Flames and Tanguay's stats double and Kane gets cut in half.

Why is Baertschi in the minors when the Flames are a last place team???? Lack of Talent or the fact he might get both physically and emotionally damaged having no one to protect him in the NHL.

Why the heck did Comeau get so much ice time???? He along with Glencross , Stempniak, Iginla and Stajan, Gio and Wideman were the only Flames that did not appear to have a distinct aversion to physical contact.

McGratton and Jackman can't protect anyone when they don't have enough skill to be on the ice more than 4 minutes a game.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

I understand that this is a glass half empty time for the Flames.... BUT

Glencross and Cammalleri and Hudler are top six forwards on basically any nhl team. If any one of them would have been traded the other team would be looking at them to fill a top 6 role. Backlund seems to be ready to move into a top 6 role.

Brodie Gio and Wideman likewise are top 4 d-men. They need some tougher guys than Smith and Butler to do the dirty work required to win in the NHL. If Carson hits anyone and everyone that he comes close to over the next 15 games he will get a look next year.


Add in Baertshi and the #1 pick 2013 and 2 UFA signings...out of Clarkson, Iginla or Horton and there is a solid core.

The signed (guys the Flames are stuck with for another year) support players Stajan, Stempniak and Jackman are not that bad as 3rd/4th liners.....and would be picked up by an NHL team if the Flames bought them out.

I think the Flames will buy out Sarich and Tanguay.

The Flames have to realize that everyone that they bring in has to be first and foremost tough..and willing to play the body and good team players.

Feaster went away from the Flames grinders and went too far to small skilled soft players....... .

I have been pointing this out since before they started playing the games for real in 2013. The experiment was a total failure.

there is ABSOLUTELY NO ROOM on this team for UFA Mason Raymond

Bouma and Alui have a better chance and need to make this team than Byron and I am sad to say Horak. Rienhardt might be able to make the grade and have enough jam as a checking centre.....


On the goalie front..... the Flames had nobody solid in that position when Kipper showed up. Every year there seems to be someone who totally unexpected gets their chance and plays better than the average NHL goalie.

How is this team any better than this year's team? Let's keep in mind that we are a 14th place hockey club with Iginla and J-Bouw - arguably our two best players. So after moving them what we have now is the very worst team in the league. Adding Clarkson/Horton and two rookies isn't going to make us any better than this year.

Adding guys like Clarkson and Horton just muddles the top 6 and gives a short-sighted coach/management team the opportunity to bury opportunities away from the future if we are 4 points out of a playoff spot halfway through the year. It's exactly why this playoff mandate stuff is ridiculous. Obviously you want to make the playoffs, but if that's the expectation the growing pains we saw with guys like Baertschi this year aren't tolerated and it hinders their development. Who knows where Baertschi is right now if he gets good PP time and gets some early confidence?

[gargamel]

Originally Posted by blankall

The Flames need to find a way to harsh troll St. Louis. With JBo's salary, they are going to be hard pressed to get all of their RFAs signed. There must be a way to offer sheet them or pry good assets out for cheap.

Refusing to retain any of Bouwmeester's salary, then giving Pietrangelo an offer sheet that the Blues can't match would be an evil genius move.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

An offer sheet of $3,364,391 AAV would only cost the Flames a 2nd round pick. There may be some vulnerable teams out there.

And it's not like we're going to have that 2nd round pick for long.

We don't have a 2nd round pick.

And even if we did, just because teams don't have cap space doesn't mean they can't create it. You think teams are going to let impact RFAs walk for $3.3m because they're tight to the cap? They have options too - compliance buyout, trade big contracts to teams looking to stay above the floor, etc.

It's not just easy pickings where the Flames can take their pick here. If they want other team's RFAs, there's going to a huge cost both monetary and in terms of assets given up.

[JayP]

Originally Posted by gargamel

Refusing to retain any of Bouwmeester's salary, then giving Pietrangelo an offer sheet that the Blues can't match would be an evil genius move.

Except an offer sheet they can't match gives up our first round pick. The Flames are in no position to do that.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

CapGeek ‏@capgeek 45m Fourteen #NHL teams have less than $1.8M to spend per open roster spot next season. Average salary is ~$2.45M. http://www.capgeek.com/payrolls/?charts_year=2013 …

Oh man... Vancouvers $/opening is $71,786.00. And they have 6 slots to fill.

[StrykerSteve]

The Flames won't buy-out Tanguay, lol.
He makes 3.5, not 8.5, and the Flames are nowhere near the salary cap.

He is however, most definitely "post apex". That being said, he's still the leading scorer on an NHL team, under contract for 3 more seasons.

He's got value, and I could see him being traded to a contending team, as long as Feaster isn't asking the world for him. You could very easily get a 2nd round pick for him.

[dammage79]

Here's a list of RFA Defensemen coming up in the off season. I really can see CGY trying to pry at least one of these players off of a team about to be hit with cap issues.

http://capgeek.com/free-agents/?year...D&fa_type_id=1

[StrykerSteve]

Originally Posted by blankall

The Flames need to find a way to harsh troll St. Louis. With JBo's salary, they are going to be hard pressed to get all of their RFAs signed. There must be a way to offer sheet them or pry good assets out for cheap.

How will they be hard-pressed? They are the 4th lowest salary team in the league. They have tons of room.

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by JayP

We don't have a 2nd round pick.

And even if we did, just because teams don't have cap space doesn't mean they can't create it. You think teams are going to let impact RFAs walk for $3.3m because they're tight to the cap? They have options too - compliance buyout, trade big contracts to teams looking to stay above the floor, etc.

It's not just easy pickings where the Flames can take their pick here. If they want other team's RFAs, there's going to a huge cost both monetary and in terms of assets given up.

An RFA offer sheet in the summer would be a 2014 2nd round pick.